


Tabloid Trouble

by Ellohcee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort, Dating, F/M, Fluff, LadyNoir - Freeform, pre-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 05:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellohcee/pseuds/Ellohcee
Summary: They promised not to read the articles, but Chat can only hold back his morbid curiosity for so long.





	Tabloid Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt “Baby, you’re not a bother.” - “I’m too needy, you don’t deserve it.” From [OTP Drabble Challenge](https://ellohcee.tumblr.com/post/173719437998/otp-drabble-challenge) on Tumblr.
> 
> This work can also be found [here](https://ellohcee.tumblr.com/post/173723176213/for-the-otp-drabble-challenge-may-i-ask-for-2)

It had become routine. After the first hesitant kiss and the subsequent nervous dancing about, they fell into a pattern that had become comfortable and treasured. Akuma fights now involved more flirting and giggling than ever before, and it was a wonder some of them didn’t give up just to be rid of their antics. Patrol came more frequently, and so did time spent sitting on rooftops and leaning on each other talking and asking about their day and kissing. They’d been hesitant over any especially telling instances of public displays of affection, but one day Alya caught them smooching on a rooftop and it was all over the news.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir an item!”

That was it, Marinette hadn’t thought it possible for them to be any more in the public eye, but once that kiss showed up on the Ladyblog, and then onto the major newspapers and stations, it was like eyes were on them 24/7. As such, many theories and wild tales began popping up in articles, if they met together as civilians, if there was secretly some absurd age gap, was it appropriate if they really didn’t know each other’s identities. Marinette could drown herself in all the bad tabloid articles saying that they could be cheating on each other in their daily lives and no one would know.

But, she thought to herself happily as she swung between buildings to their meeting spot, no harm had come of it so far, so things were okay.

Until this day, a seemingly normal Tuesday afternoon, that she came across a very down-trodden kitty, and she suddenly felt the strong urge to punch whoever was the cause of that expression on his face. She approached him with a mix of worry and preparation to take names. “Minou, what’s wrong?” she asked, sitting next to him and trying to decipher the look on his face.

Chat let out a sudden sharp sigh, quick and frustrated and upset. “My Lady… am I too… ugh, do I ever… bother you?” he asked softly, looking up at her with big soulful eyes, the kind of kicked kitten eyes that she would kick someone’s ass over.

“Chat,” Ladybug said in confusion. “What in the world would make you think that?” she demanded gently. Had she given the impression at some point? Was she having a bad day the last time they met up?

Her partner heaved another breath, reaching to his other side and revealing his evidence to the court. It was a tabloid he’d seen sitting on a bench after someone left it. Unable to help himself, because they were all over the front page, he’d read the damn thing and he knew they’d agreed-

“Kitty,” she admonished, glaring at the tabloid in his hand as if her gaze alone could set it on fire. “I thought we agreed not to read that trash.”

“I know!” he groaned, running clawed fingers through his hair in a frustrated act of self-comfort, tugging at the strands just a little. “I couldn’t help it when I saw this particular one, you know how I get,” he whined petulantly.

Ladybug took the tabloid from him, resisting the urge to rip it in two right then and there and scatter it to the wind, before giving the headline a frustrated glance.

_Down Kitty!: Chat Noir has hooked his claws to Ladybug- And she can’t get rid of him!_

She was positive there was some red creeping across her vision like a tidal wave of anger, her hands trembling slightly where the clutched the book of lies. But she kept it in check, because right now was not the time for fury, no that could come later, right now was the time for putting this thought of his to rest.

“Chat Noir,” she said quietly, gaining his attention better than any shout or reprimand ever could. When she was angry or annoyed it was one thing, but it was the times when she was soft spoken that made him pay rapt attention. These were the times when she was sad, or deadly serious, or unflinchingly warm, that drew him in like a moth to a flame every time. “What would make you buy into this nonsense for even a second?” she asked, grabbing one of his hands in her own and squeezing his fingers gently.

He sighed again,  _gosh he was doing that a lot lately, for many reasons_ , and gripped her hand back. “I just… it got me overthinking, and I know I can be really clingy, or I demand your attention, and it just made me wonder…”

“Baby,” she said softly, making his heart flutter abruptly from the term of affection. “You’re not a bother.”

“I’m too needy,” Chat mumbled petulantly, looking down at her gloved hand in his, late sun playing across their joined digits and reflecting off the subtle honeycomb texture. “You don’t deserve it.”

“Excuse you,” Ladybug said defiantly, making his head whip up. “I don’t deserve my boyfriend showing how much he cares about me? I don’t deserve to be cuddled and loved and appreciated? And to cuddle and love and appreciate him back?”

The sheer panic on his face was almost enough to make her burst into laughter, but she had to hold the act to make her point. “No no no!!” he cut in frantically, leaning forward. “That’s not what I meant! I just- clingy! Girls don’t like clingy guys do they? I thought that was an annoying thing- to be too affectionate-”

His frantic ramblings were abruptly cut off, as the tabloid he hadn’t noticed her rolling into a tube shape abruptly bopped him on the head. He sat stunned, aghast, a horrified look on his face. “Stop,” she demanded simply. “Stop being sad, and saying silly things, and thinking that I’m not as needy as you are because  _who_ called you last week in the middle of the night crying? And you transformed at one in the morning to meet me on a rooftop and bring me a cupcake and hug me for like 30 minutes until I stopped weeping?”

“I- but- that’s different!” Chat rebuked uncertainly. This earned him another ‘bop’ of the tabloid.

“Wrong answer Mon Chaton,” Ladybug said in a flat glare. “Try again or be further assaulted.”

“But, My Lady-”

She whacked him again.

“I didn’t even fully respond!”

“I heard the wrong answer in your tone of voice.” Another bop.

Chat fell dramatically to the rooftop under her assault, covering his head with folded arms and trying not to laugh as one of the jabs got him in the ticklish spot on his ribs. “Help!” he cried. “Someone save me, she’s gone mad!” He actually did shriek out a laugh when the tabloid was abandoned and replaced with deft fingers  _purposefully_ going for the spot she knew he was deathly ticklish. His instinct was to reach out and crush her to himself in a bear hug, pressing a squeak of breathless laughter out of her.

And so the two ended up laying on a rooftop giggling like idiots as Chat left his emotional crisis behind, content to just be happy together and once more vow to scorn the tabloid trash. It took them several minutes to calm down- as a sneaky set of fingers kept going for that spot on his ribs- until they could peacefully enjoy the sunset wrapped up with each other.

Chat heaved one last sigh, this time one of absolute content, before kissing her forehead and cuddling close. “And everyone says  _you’re_ the lucky one,” he chuckled


End file.
